Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-23
State AFFAIRS.
Both Houses of the Legislature De-
bathg Railway Commission Bills
at the Same Time.
Senator simkinS Resumes His Argu-
ment-ilIustrations Drawn From
the Seorgia Commission.
= Strong Feeling Prevale MT in Both Houses
in Favor of Establishing state
Orphan 4 3, INN.
STATE ORPHAN ASYLUM.

special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX, Feb. 22.-There is a
strong feeling eXtant among goodly
portion of both houses in favor of estao-
fishing State Orphan Asylum. Whether
it will materialI2e this session in shape of
legislative enactment is questionable
\ LOSS TO THE STATE.
The amount due the state from Charles
Goodnight and twelve others indicted In
unlawful land Enclosure cases amounts
to over 1928 600 in the aggregate.
UNDER TWO FIRES.
Both Houses of the Legislature were
Debating the railroad commission bill at
the same time yesterday. Each House
originated bill TO create a railroad COM
mission, and they are almost counter
parts in their construction.
Mr.. McGaugney speaking to the bill in
the House, said he would not vote to give
such powers to any three men under the
sun, as the bill proposed. 1t was not
democratic to take such matters out of
the control of the Legislature, and, be
sides, would cost the state S5p, 200
year. Still he was in favor of commits
sion, with restricted powers, to go into
the railroad offices and report to the
Legislature so we could legislate on the
subject. He wanted justice to everybody
interested, railroads as well as anybody.
RAILROAD COMMISSION BILL.
Senator SImkins resumed his argument
this morning, being entitled to the floor
when the Senate adjourned yesterday.
He said that Chief Justice Waite of the
United States Supreme court held that
Just and reasonable rates means not be
low that point where reasonable COM
pensauOn for services is given, that with
out any minimum rates the commission
could rot go to point of conflScation,
that at any time when the commission
should declare rates below reasonable
compensation these roads could swear
out an Injunction and test it, that
il would be impossible to fix
regular rates for summer and winter
alike. While everything human was open
to defects, and while this bill might not
meet al the necessities connected with
the regulating of railroads, yet the com
mission system has proved eminently
successful in Georgia, and ne believed
that our Governor could and would Sc
leCt three men who can make the plan
laid down in this bill as successful in
Texas. He ssid that the Interstate COM
MERGE Jaw would regulate long hauls, but
it required state commission to correct
the evils of the short haul disCrimina-
tons. Commerce is the life-blOOd of the
nation, and should railroads without re-
striction stop the healthy flow of that
blood by pooling under the long and short
haul system? He said the very idea of
the appointment of an interstate
commission has given con-
fiuence and stability to those
enterprises that have heretofore been
subject TO the fluc ustlons of railroad dis
examinations. He illustrated by citing
where the railroads in Georgia
Disseminated against the people Of
RIme, Ga, by the short maui sys-
TEN so that -four could be shipped
from Cincinnati, Ohio, TO Atlanta cheaper
than from Atlanta TO Rome in the same
state That the commission went to the
railroads and put stop to it, and now
there are no such determinations and
Just so could we bring about the same
Justice. He said general laws would
never reach the evil, and with
out q commission our towns could
be destroyed with impunity. 1t has
been done and is being done under the
general law passed in this state in 1883.
He dWelt on it's constitutiOnality as
questioned by the opposition. He said
that the case cited by them had no
relevancy, but only decided where the
constitution prescribed an agency. The
Legislature has no power to change that
agency He impaired the constitution
of Georgia with that of T-Xas and claimed
that they were identically the same in